Show ContentsBascome History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bascome is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Bascome family lived in Boscombe, Wiltshire where one reference from 1273 suggests that "Boscumbe" may have derived from the Old English words meaning a 'valley overgrown with spiky plants.' Today Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset and includes Boscombe Manor, built by Phillip Norris in 1801. "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" was one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first published in the Strand Magazine in 1891.

Early Origins of the Bascome family

The surname Bascome was first found in Wiltshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were conjecturally descended from Edward a tenant of William d'Eu as shown in the Domesday Book taken in 1086 by William Duke of Normandy showing the lands granted by the king to his nobles.

Early History of the Bascome family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bascome research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1600 and 1975 are included under the topic Early Bascome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bascome Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bascome are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bascome include Bascum, Bascomb, Bascome, Bascombe, Bascom, Baskomb, Boscomb and many more.

Early Notables of the Bascome family

More information is included under the topic Early Bascome Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bascome migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Bascome, or a variant listed above:

Bascome Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Benjamin Bascome, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1809 1
  • Cornelius Bascome, aged 37, who landed in New York in 1812 1
  • D. Bascome, who landed in New York in 1821
  • J. B. Bascome, who settled in Alexandria Virginia in 1823

Contemporary Notables of the name Bascome (post 1700) +

  • Osagi Bascome (1998-2021), Bermudian footballer who played as a forward (2019-2021); he died after being stabbed, in December 2021, at the age of 23


The Bascome Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Forti et fideli nihil difficile
Motto Translation: Nothing is difficult to the brave and the faithful.


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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